Date of Award

Rights

Document Type

Degree Name

Department

Physical Education, Health and Recreation

First Advisor

Chadron Hazelbaker

Second Advisor

Rob Sauders

Third Advisor

Alan Basham

Abstract

"In the emerging field of sport for development and peace (SDP), there are many programs working with communities using an array of techniques, methods and sports. Despite the progress and successes of these programs, there seems to be a scant amount of studies in the literature in supporting the role of sports as a viable catalyst for development, peace, social cohesion and conflict resolution. In answering the call for more empirical evaluations, this thesis investigated the role of sports in international peace and development within the context of SDP programs. The Delphi method of data collection was applied, where three rounds of surveys were administered. Content experts (CE) who are the administrators of SDP programs were contacted by e-mail, and their responses were collected using Google Documents and SurveyGizmo. Afterwards, the CEs were instructed to reach consensus on seven research questions that were categorized in the areas of peace, development, necessary aspects, prime benefits, major challenges, overcoming challenges and effective sport. The research questions were developed based on an extensive review of the literature. Findings reached from the consensus by CEs revealed several themes that highlight the success and challenges of SDP programs. These themes include: community, funding & fundraiser, women and cultural barriers, evaluation and measurement, and sports as a means not an end. There is no study in the current literature that takes this approach in examining SDP programs, and therefore the present study enhances the understanding of SDP programs and establishes the foundation for further research"--Document.